Medical supplies to deal with an anthrax outbreak were delivered to health officials at the Lenawee County Airport hours after the first infected patients appeared at a hospital emergency room Tuesday.

That was the scenario of an emergency preparedness drill that allowed participants from multiple agencies to rehearse their roles in responding to a health emergency in Lenawee County.

“I think it was a very successful exercise today,” said Patricia Bourgeois, Lenawee County health officer.

People who would be involved in responding to a real emergency had a chance to become familiar with each other and the roles they would play in quickly getting medication to a large number of patients, she said.

The exercise began at ProMedica Bixby Hospital where several patients came into the emergency room, presenting anthrax symptoms. Hospital staff then contacted the Lenawee County Health Department.

The point of the exercise was to test airborne delivery of medicines from the Strategic National Stockpile. Emergency medical supplies are stored at several locations in Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Community Health released simulated material from the Strategic National Stockpile to the Civil Air Patrol which flew the shipment to the Lenawee County Airport by 10 a.m., less than two hours after the request from the health department.

The CAP flight was met at the airport by Madison Township police, a Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department representative and officials from Bixby Hospital, the health department and Lenawee County emergency management. The shipment was loaded into a van from the county’s printing department and escorted by police to Lenawee Christian School where medications would be dispensed to the public and distributed to other sites if needed.

The health department has agreements with schools and other locations to be used as dispensaries in emergency situations, Bourgeois said.

The health department has resources available to provide medication to 50,000 people in a 24-hour period, she said.

“This exercise is part of an ongoing training plan to ensure that the health department maintains the capability and proficiency to protect the citizens of Lenawee County in the event of a public health emergency,” said Susie Dice of the health department in a news release.

The exercise was completed by noon and an evaluation was conducted later to identify strengths and weaknesses.

“The health department feels very confident we can respond to an emergency situation,” Bourgeois said after the evaluation.